Loose leaf binder



March 15, 1960 E. C. RANKIN LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed April 12, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor EDWARD C. RANKIN March 15, 1960 E. c. RANKIN LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed April 12, 1956 3 Sheets- Sheet 2 A f m w 2 1 mm fi m {W x E Y x 4f N I w .1. i l l :FT I 5 +8 Liza E Z 1 1:15 7 a a E m H H &m

as 2 \w /2 3 4 ss six -13 12' Inventor EDWARD C. RANKIN March 15, 1960 r E. c. RANKIN 2,928,398

LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filgd April 12, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ill 2 33 14 '3) ///l l L 54 35A Inventor EDWARD C. RANKIN Pig/45% Un e t es, P ten Q I 2,928,398 LoosE LEAF BINDER 'Edward C. Rankin, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Brock and Rankin, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois jApplic'ation April 12, 1956, Serial No. 577,852 LClaim. (Cl. 129-17) 1 The disclosure relates to, improvements in. loose-leaf binders, more particularly the divided-ring variety oper- V ating on the centrally hinged win'g p'rinciple.

The invention has as its chief objectivethe provision of a loose-leaf binder of the class described characterized by versatility, simplification, and especially reduced manufacturing costs while retaining capabilities of much more costly and complex binders of this general class.

Each said guide flange has a long vertical slot 24X or v 2SX- (Figs. 3 and 8). which straddles the hinge rod 23,

as seen especially in Fig. 9, so that said rod is confined to a fixed vertical track in the opening and closing movements of the wings. Y

A further guide means for the wings comprises (as seen in Fig. 4) a long rod 30 or 31 attached respectively to the Wings or 21 'by a clip and speed-nut means A or 31A, each said;.rod having both of its ends provided with a crank-shaped ofiset 30X or 31X' projecting into a corresponding horizontal runway slot 32 or 33 (Fig. 3) formed in the opposite;-supstanding end walls 16A of the'cradle..l. 1:

At the lower orfoot'end of the 'cradle..(Fig. 1) isa small. latch"plate=35. having an offset bottom: edge A More particular features relate to the provision of a simple fiat-backed metal cradle for mounting the mechanism as a subassembly ready for attachment to the flat casing backbone; to the provision of a simple, very compact automatic latch means for controllingpartialand full-opening movements of the wings; to the provision of a simple over-center closing leverage, together with a rigidifying guide means for the middle-break hinge means.

Still further aspects of novelty and utility will appear as the following description proceeds in view of the annexed drawings, in which: I

Fig. Us a perspective of the binder in loaded condition viewed from the lower or latch end;

'Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view looking into the empty binder at the binding mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end view looking at the latch end of the binding mechanism in the partially open, reading position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the binding mechanism looking down upon the same in its condition of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 but with the binder rings in full-open or loading position;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken along lines 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional detail taken along lines 7-7 of Fig. 4 with the binder in the partially-open or reading condition; I

Fig. 8 is a cross-section taken along lines 8-8 of Fig. 5 showing the rings in full-open condition; 1

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section taken along lines 9-9 of Fig. 2.

As viewed in Fig. l, the binder consists of a pair of hard covers 12, 13 hingedly joined to a hard, flat backbone 14 to the inside face of which is attached by blind rivets 15 (Fig. 2) the metal cradle of the bindermechanism generally indicated at 16.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the bound loose-leaf material, such as the leaves L (Fig. 1) or L L (shown divided in Fig. 3) will be strung on arcuate posts, prongs or stringers 18, 19 respectively attached to left and right wings 20 and 21, which are V-shaped in cross-section (as in Fig. 7) and have mutually inter-fitting hinge bores formed along' their confronting longitudinal margins at 22 and joined by a long hinge pin 23, which is seen in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

(Fig. 9) riveted as.ati 36 to-apair of fiat springs 37 anchored b'y rivets 15 on spacers 13' beneath the cradle in such manner that the latchplate 35 normally stands upright and nearly flush ,againstthe end of the cradle such that one of each of the offset guide rod portions 30X and 31X will respectively flank the latch plate 35:at one of the vertical side edges of the latter; whereby the said rod offsets are prevented'from moving inwardly in the slots, asthey must do if th'etwo wings are to be permitted to open.

However, as depicted in Fig. 3, the guide slots 32, 33 for said offset rod ends are long enough to permit limited opening movement of the wings from the fully closed con dition shown in Fig. 6 to the first or partially open reading position shown in Fig. 3, wherein said rod otfsets abut the edges of the latch plate 35, which prevents further openingmovement of the wings unless the latch plate 35 is sprung outwardly to permit the full-open condition shown in Fig. 5 wherein the ends of the-rod olfsets are 1 pressed against by the latch plate, with the latterthereby held in open condition until such time as the wings are closed or converged. When the latter movement has progressed far enough the latch plate 35 will spring back to blocking position (Fig. 4). g 1 When the full-open or loading condition of the wings prevails, as in Fig. ,5, the pivotal axis thereof along hinge rod 23 shifts upwardly, as in Fig. 8, to the top of the slots in the vertical guide posts '24, 25, and the closing force applied to the wings is then applied at a level somewhat above the elevated level of the hinge rod 23 for which purposeclosing-levers 40, 41 (Figs. 8 and 9) are attached to the ends of the wings opposite from the foot or latch end, said levers being attachedto'the wings preferably by rivets through angled'foot portions on each lever, as indicated at 42 in Fig. 2.

Smaller angles 44 (Fig. 2) are similarly riveted into position on the foot ends of the wings near the latch, the

offset crank ends 30X, 31X on the wing guide rods projecting through holes cut in said levers and angles, as at 45 in Fig. 2. By this means the guide rods 30, 31 are rigidly coupled with their respective wings 20, 21.

In the, operation of the new binder, mere dividing of the'pages and opening on a flat surface (as in Fig. 3) will cause the wings 20, 21 to rock open to thereading condition with the leaves L L more or less fiat.

In this latter condition the ends 30X and 31X of the guide rods on these wings bear against opposite vertical edges of'the latch plate, as in Fig. 3, to prevent the wings from opening farther; and to prevent the leaves from disengaging the binder rings 18, 19 the latter have some relative overlap, as at 18X (Fig. 3).

For removal or insertion of leaves, the latch plate 35 (-Fig. 5) is pulled out and the wings will .drop to fully open position, l as in Fig. 8, open. a

mime; 18,19 spread To close 'the binding mechanism fromtthecondition 7 ages "then cause the w'in gs, even when-heavily burdened t of Fig; 8, the two upstanding l'evers 10, 41 ar'ejslqueezed between the thumbv andkforefinger; a'nd' the existing lever- V with pages, to :swing up easily and positively, owing to a the actioniof the several guide rod and hing'e rod "means j projentions 30X, 31X on thetgui'de' :rods, i'the latter also shifting sitnultaneouslygin a hoi izontahplane. i t

But,'unlike other bindingmechfiniistn of this' general class, such movements are effected by a very simplegeom pact, relatively inexpensive mechanism wbrkiugwithin theconfinesof a-1esser-volumethanany-kuowmprior tvpe of binfdntitilizing thetmiddl'ejb'reaktprinciple,a v Any standard flat-back casings or coversgmay' beiused with the new mechanism 'whethe'r the attaching :rivets are blindsor not; and the covers mayl be'doubleor single hingedZ"".- 1 I Iclaim: t ,e m-

In a loose-leaf binder of the knownclasslhaving a pair thereforand guided stud means at an end of ea'ch'wing spaced from ,the hinge axis and respectively working in I guide slot means to guide the wings in opening and closing rocking hinge movement such that the hingeaxis moves up and down in opening and closing action of the prongs,

improvements comprising, namely; a lock for these wings consisting in a transversely directed plate member having guide slotmeans directed vtransversely of said axis and positioned opposite "one "end of the pair of 'wings, and stud means' on 'eaghwin'g end projecting; into and beyond said s'lot'meansfor back and fortha-guid'eidxmovement to of long prong-carrying wing membersw joinedttot a long common central hinge axis; together with mountingmeans cause rocking of the app rtaining wings astthethinge axis moves upior down as aforesaid; and alatch member-and,

means mounting same adjacent-saidplate member for movemenfinto blocking position inbetweeti said project- 7 mg stud means to prevent rocking movement of the win'gsas aforesaid, or permit such movement when the latch member isg witlrdmwn from blocking 'gposition.

1 a Refereuees- Cited n he-file 'e'f this N 1 ,7 JUN-ITED STATES PATENTS 

